Case Closed
by meg.meg.meg
Summary: Tag for the season 3 "Daredevils!" episode. Shawn made an emotional attempt to convince Dutch the Clutch not to kill himself. What if Juliet had been there to witness this inspiring event? My take on the scene as if Jules were present. Shules! Enjoy.


**Author's Note:** I just happened to be watching my Psych season 3 DVDs when I came across one of my favorites, "Daredevils!" I had forgotten just how compelling Shawn's final speech was. Then, I started imagining… What if Juliet had been helping Shawn and Gus with the case, and she had been there to witness this other side of Shawn? Well, this is my take on the second-to-last scene of the episode, when Shawn tries to convince Dutch the Clutch not to kill himself. Enjoy!

After hearing the details of the insurance policy, Shawn said, "Gus…I know who our killer is."

He immediately called Juliet and told her to meet him at the arena. It was her day off, but she didn't hesitate to join him. Once they arrived, Shawn led the way as they hurriedly made their way to the entry tunnel.

"Jules, you're gonna have to let me do the talking, okay?" Shawn pleaded.

"Okay. As long as you explain what's going on," Juliet replied.

"I will, I promise."

Shawn and Juliet were standing in the tunnel that Dutch would soon be riding through. The announcer was introducing Dutch's next act when Dutch roared down the tunnel on his motorcycle.

Dutch slowed to a stop and removed his helmet, glaring at Shawn. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought I fired you!"

"I just came to apologize to you, Dutch," Shawn replied.

"For what?" Dutch asked, slightly annoyed.

Shawn began, "I was wrong about you… all this time I… I thought you were the kid who shot milk out of his eye. You know, willing to do just about anything for attention, regardless of how it affects the people around you. But that's not the case, is it?"

Dutch didn't want to hear any of his psychic nonsense. "Now son, I'm gettin' tired of the sound of your gums flappin'."

Shawn ignored his comment, and continued. "You're all about family, aren't you, Dutch? You love them more than life." Shawn looked down for a moment, and then looked back at Dutch. "That's why you've been trying to kill yourself. I sense a _dark_ cloud over you… you're terminally ill. I'm sorry, man. It must be so scary knowing that you're gonna die, especially when you're all that your family has. And that's why you took out that special insurance policy… the one that only _you_ know about. Now, all you gotta do is make sure that you die in the middle of a stunt, and you're family gets windfall. Right? It should have been a simple matter of you sabotaging your own stunts… but Dutch, you're a victim of your own talent! You actually are a little… unkillable. Even with all your faulty mechanics, your instincts kicked in and prevented you from failing.

The announcer came over the arena's speakers again, telling the crowd to prepare for the show, since Dutch the Clutch would be on in a few minutes. Juliet could do nothing but stand there and listen to this exchange of words. Shawn felt pressured by this announcement's haste, but continued talking to Dutch.

"Look, I know this is your last stunt for a while, and that's my fault. If this disease gets you before your next show, your family gets nothing, so I'm sure that whatever your method is tonight, it's foolproof."

Dutch sighed. "What are you gonna do now?" he asked.

Shawn shook his head slightly. "Nothing. I'm not gonna try and stop you, and I will not say anything if you go through with it. You have my word." Shawn hesitantly extended his hand to Dutch, who shook it. The daredevil put on his helmet, and Shawn felt the urgency of the moment rushing through his veins. He only had a few more short moments to change Dutch's mind.

"Just… let me leave you with this, Dutch. It doesn't take a psychic to see how much people love you. Your son came to me, and he hired a psychic against his better judgment to keep you alive… and you don't know this yet, but all he wants in the _world_ is to be more like _you_. You go to your son, or your wife, or anyone on your crew for that matter; and you ask them which they'd rather have… six more months with you, or a million dollars. You know damn well what they'll answer, and they won't have to think about it for a _second_.

Dutch lifted the eye shield of his helmet, exposing the tears welling in his eyes. "Is that right?" he asked.

Shawn nodded, and responded with Dutch's trademark saying, "True story."

Dutch let out a small grin. "You're on." He fiddled with a part on his motorcycle, and said, "I was that kid in class who shot milk out of his eyes, and I was damn good." He shut his eye shield, kick started his bike, and tapped his helmet twice toward Shawn before taking off down the tunnel.

Shawn and Juliet watched and waited nervously as Dutch rode his motorcycle towards the arena's center stage. The double doors opened, the spotlights beamed, and the crowd cheered.

They heard the announcer say, "And he's off! He's past the point of no return! It's all or nothing!" The announcer paused. This was the moment of truth. Shawn turned around and began walking away while silently praying that Dutch had listened to him. He paused, and Juliet crossed her arms close to her body, fearing the worst. Suddenly, the announcer boomed, "He did it! He did it!" as the crowd exploded with cheers. Shawn and Juliet instantaneously let out huge sighs of relief.

Juliet was nearly in a state of shock. Hearing the previous dialogue occur had been one of the most intriguing moments of her life. Shawn, the "class clown" of the Santa Barbara Police Department, had just saved a man's life… with nothing more than words. She had known him for a long time, but she had never seen him so serious and earnest, and it was really quite astonishing. To think of such strong and convincing arguments on the spot took a lot of wit, and a lot more courage.

She looked at him and smiled. "Shawn, that was amazing. You did a very great thing just now."

Shawn, too, was on the borderline of shock. He had never been a part of anything so surreal. Juliet's words snapped him out of his reverie. "Aw, Jules, come on. Don't say that… I had to do something. I couldn't just let the man kill himself without at least trying to change his mind," he said, looking into her eyes. He had never been able to really compose himself properly when he looked into her gorgeous eyes, but he did it anyway now. With the knowledge of a good deed done, Shawn felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. He and Juliet began walking back to the parking lot.

They reached Juliet's car, and Shawn got the idea to grab some food, since it was about lunchtime. He hopped on his motorcycle and followed her to a nearby Chinese restaurant. They sat and ate their chicken chow mein, talking and laughing about things that didn't pertain to Dutch the Clutch. It was as if they were avoiding the subject, just to stay away from the seriousness of it all. It started to rain, so instead of making Shawn drive his motorcycle and get soaked, Juliet offered to drive Shawn back to the office. Gus could take him back to get it later. They left the restaurant and headed back to Psych.

They almost made it back to the office before the subject of the recent events came up. Juliet had begun to think more about how amazing Shawn had been. She said, "You know, Shawn, what you did for Dutch really was impressive. You were terrific."

As much as Shawn enjoyed being the center of attention, it usually wasn't for when he had actually done something _right_, so it was weird and new for him to be commended for greatness of character, especially by Juliet. Come to think of it, it was also weird that she was doing him all of these favors. She came to help him on her day off, she drove him out of her way to Psych to keep him dry, and now she was congratulating his success. Shawn wasn't used to people wanting to help him so often.

"Jules, please… you don't have to treat me like I won the third grade science fair for making a pineapple volcano," he said, to lighten the mood.

They arrived at their destination, and Juliet parked in front of the Psych office. "I'm serious, Shawn. I always knew there was more to you than you let everyone see," she said, looking into his eyes.

_Dammit_, he thought. There she went again, looking into his eyes. He always lost control when she did that. He composed himself enough to say, "Look, I know what I did was good, but I couldn't have snuffed up the courage to do it if you hadn't been there by my side."

Juliet smiled and asked, "Well, I guess it's 'case closed' then, huh?"

"Hmmm…. not quite," Shawn replied.

"Oh?" Juliet questioned. "Well… Dutch is safe, we're full of Chinese food, and you're back to the office. This case seems pretty wrapped up to me. What else is there to do?" she asked.

"There's just one more thing," he answered with a small grin, as he leaned his face in close to Juliet's. He was so close, like he had been during their "close talking." This time was different. This time, Juliet didn't let her carefully constructed shield hold her back. She closed the rest of the gap and let her lips gently brush against Shawn's. They tenderly kissed at first, getting to feel what it was like to finally cross that line. Before long, however, tenderness just wasn't going to be enough. Shawn gently placed his hand on the back of her neck and drew her head closer to his, and he parted his lips farther to deepen the kiss. Juliet followed suit, embracing the warmth that Shawn's embrace spread through her entire body. She cautiously slid her tongue towards his lips, and when they brushed against it, his tongue leaped in an eager response, joining to dance in tune with the rest of their mouths' motions. Their lips touched together like silk, and neither wanted to stop.

Finally, Shawn pulled back. He didn't want to move too fast…yet.

"Goodbye, Jules. I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye, Shawn."


End file.
